Shelf structure which may be quickly assembled or disassembled from standardized parts



April 21, 197-0 c. GRUENBERG 3,507 399 SHELF STRUCTURE WHICH MAY BE QUICKLY ASSEMBLED 0R DISASSEMBLED FROM STANDARDIZED PARTS Filed Feb. 24, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet l April 21, 1970 J. c. GRUENBERG 3,507 399 SHELF STRUCTURE WHICH MAY BE QUICKLY ASSEMBLIED DISASSEMBLED FROM STANDARDIZED PARTS Filed Feb. 24, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 H: TOA /V5 APril 1970 J c. GRUENBERG 3,507 399 SHELF STRUCTURE WHICH MAY BE QUICKLY ASSEMBLED OR DISASSEMBLED FROM STANDARDIZED PARTS Filed Feb. 24, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 a. BY Ti g4. 7

United States US. Cl. 211148 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A shelf structure which may be quickly assembled or disassembled from standardized leg sections and standardized shelf sections so that the shelf structure may be of greater or lesser horizontal or vertical extent depending on the number of such sections employed comprising:

A plurality of standardized shelf sections adapted to be arranged adjacent each other horizontally and stacked vertically, each shelf section having means on each corner thereof for locking the corner to the top of one of the following leg sections below the shelf section and to the bottom of one of the following leg sections above the shelf section; and a plurality of standardized leg sections adapted to be stacked vertically, each leg section having means on each side thereof for locking horizontally adjacent shelf sections to the leg sections.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to reduce the time and cost required to assemble or disassemble shelf structure by eliminating the need for time consuming fastenings used in the past, such as nuts and bolts, by providing standardized mass producible parts which may be quickly assembled or disassembled as indicated in the abstract. Two types of standardized parts will suffice. Because of the construction of the standardized parts, it is possible to build quickly an overall shelf structure of any desired horizontal or vertical extent depending on the number of standardized parts used.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the shelf structure in a preferred embodiment;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of one of the standardized shelf sections 1 and three of the standardized leg sections 2 of FIGURE 1, shown to illustrate the method of assembly or disassembly;

FIGURE 3 is a top view of two standardized shelf sections 1 locked to an intervening standardized leg section 2;

FIGURE 4 is a cross section along the line 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a top view of a standardized shelf section 1;

FIGURE 6 is a side view of a standardized leg section 2;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of one of the tabs on the corners of the shelf sections 1, separated from the shelf section;

FIGURE 8 is a view to show how two standardized leg sections 2 can be joined together by two of the tabs of FIGURE 7 to form an elongated leg section of double or more length.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIGURE 1 shows a shelf structure which may be quickly assembled or disassembled in any desired extent horizontally or vertically, that is to say, with any number of shelf sections 1 in the horzontal direction and any number of shelf sections 1 in the vertical direction. This is so because the structure does not involve any time consuming fastening operations, such as nuts and bolts, but rather a simple interlocking means to be described for locking standardized shelf sections .1 and standardized leg sections 2 together. It will be readily appreciated that if a workman has only to deal with two standardized units, shelf sections 1 and leg sections 2, available to him on a mass produced basis, and that if the interlocking means are very simple, he would be able to assemble or disassemble the entire structure of FIGURE 1 in very short time. What is more he may add to it or subtract from it at any later time either by adding to the assembly, either horizontally or vertically, more standardized pieces, or subtracting them from an existing assembly. Thus the main advantage of the invention is the convenient and cost saving way in which one can put shelving together or change it to meet any size requirements at any time and very quickly.

FIGURE 2 shows both a standardized shelf section 1 and three standardized leg sections 2 in a way to indicate how quickly they may be locked together. The shelf sections 1 of FIGURES 1 and 2 can be better visualized with the aid of their top views in FIGURES 3 and 5. These shelf sections 1 comprise a flat rectangular shelf of metal to each corner of which there is welded at 3A a tab 3 which is a means for locking the shelf section 1 to a leg section 2 either above or below the shelf section. Tabs 3 are shown in FIGURE 7 separated from the shelf section 1, since, as explained later, tabs 3 may when used as separate standarized units apart from shelf section 1, perfOrm the additional function of being a means for locking two or more leg sections 2 together to form leg sections of double or greater length, as illustrated by FIGURE 8.

The construction of the standardized leg sections 2 is particularly to be noted because their construction is a key element of the invention. As will be seen best from the FIGURES 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8, the standardized leg sections 2 are of generally T shaped cross section and are formed by welding back to back two metallic members 2A and 2B, of L-shaped cross section each of which is so shaped with end flanges 4 and 5 along the length of the leg sections as to form channels for receiving the tabs 3 of the shelf section 1 in locking engagement to the leg sections. These channels of course run from end to end fo the leg sections. They are simply formed by bending the metal over at the outer edges of legs 2C and 2D of members 2A and 2B so that the flanges 4 and 5 of the leg sections will hold securely the tabs 3 when the tabs 3 are slid into the channels by vertical movement. Very important; to the practical realization of the invention is the provision on the both sides of leg sections 2 of the bosses 6 by a simple stamping operation prior to welding members 2A and 2B together. The bosses 6 limit the extent to which the tabs 3 slide into the channels of leg sections 2 and form rests on which the shelf sections 1 may rest for bearing whatever load they are required to bear. It is also important to the concept of the invention that there be one such boss on each side of each end of a leg section 2 so that each standardized leg section 2 is symmetrical from end to end with the result that the workman assembling the shelf structure of FIGURE 1 has no need to concern himself with the problem of whether he has the leg section upside down or right side up. Either way he has it right side up. One of the bosses 6 is there to support the shelf sections 1 either way.

Now taking a look at the standardized shelf section 1 in FIGURE 2, it will be visualized that the corner tabs 3 are so formed that they Will slide into the channels formed by flanges 4 and 5 in secure locking engagement and rest on the bosses 6 at a proper level to hold the shelf sections 1 horizontally and vertically under a load of books or other loads upon the shelves. It will be seen that with the two standardized units comprising the shelf sections 1 and the leg sections 2, one may build a shelf structure of any size from either side of the leg sections 2 in the following manner very simply:

One first forms a first horizontal shelf of any desired horizontal extent by sliding the lower portion of tabs 3 of as many standarized shelf sections 1 as may be required into the channels of as many of the standardized leg sections 2 therebelow as may be needed. Then he adds above the first layer of shelf sections 1 so formed another tier of leg sections 2 by sliding them over the upper portion of the tabs 3 aflixed to the shelf sections 1. It will be noted that the tabs 3 are constructed with a central portion 3B and bent end portions 7 bent away at 3C from the flat portions of the shelf sections so as to provide end flanges 7A which will readily engage in the channels of the legs sections 2 because of the curled end flanges 4 and 5 of the leg sections 2. In other words, in FIGURES 2, 3, and 5, end portions 7 are so constructed as to be separated from the flat shelf portions so that they are free to slide into the channels of the leg sections 3 formed by flanges 4 and 5.

It will be seen that in assembly the overall structure of FIGURE 1 need not be rectangular as seen from the front. In other words, upper tiers need not be horizontally as long as the lowermost tier so that a somewhat pyramidal or other overall configuration may be formed.

The construction thus far described contemplates a shelf structure in which the horizontal shelves are separated vertically by the length of one standardized leg section 2. Should it be desired to have a greater vertical separation for larger books or other items, this can be done very easily with my invention because of the construction of the leg sections 2 and the tabs 3 of FIGURE 7 which are formed as standardized items apart from that of the standardized shelf sections 1 of FIGURES 1, 2, 3 and 5. With the standardized tabs of FIGURE 7 one may build extendid leg sections simply by taking two standardized leg sections 2 of FIGURES 6 and 8 and inserting two tabs 3 of FIGURE 7 into the top of one of them down to the bosses 6 on each side and then adding the other standardized leg section 2 thereabove by sliding it over the two tabs 3 already engaged with the lower leg. This is all illustrated by the FIGURE 8.

One further advantage of the invention is to be noted. In shelving of this kind, it may be desirable to have end, front, or rear closures to prevent books or other objects from falling off the ends front, or rear of the shelf sections 1. It will be noted that the construction of the invention embodied in the drawings provides grooves for accommodating flat metallic plates 8, shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 3, between flanges 4 and the shelf sections. These plates 8 will form side, rear or front walls Where desired. Plates 8 may also be inserted between the two flanges 4 on a front leg section 2 and the two flanges 4 on a rear leg section 2 as shown at 9 in FIG- URE 3.

It is to be understood that the disclosed embodiment is only one illustration of the invention and that variations will occur to those skilled in the art. It is particularly to be understood that the abstract of the disclosure set forth at the beginning is only an attempt to depict one specific embodiment disclosed so that the patent oflice and others may have a guide to classification.

What I claim is:

1. A shelf structure which may be quickly assembled or disassembled from standardized leg sections and standardized shelf sections so that the shelf structure may be of greater or lesser horizontal or vertical extent depending on the number of such sections employed comprising:

a plurality of standardized shelf sections having flat portions adapted to be arranged adjacent each other horizontally and stacked vertically, each shelf section having on each corner thereof a tab for locking the corner to the top of one of the following leg sections below the shelf section, and to the bottom of one of the following leg sections above the shelf section, each tab having end flange portions spaced from the flat portions of the shelf sections so that such end flange portions may slide into the following channels;

and a plurality of standardized leg sections of generally T shaped cross section adapted to be stacked vertically, each leg section having on each side thereof end flanges forming channels running lengthwise of the leg section to receive the end flange portions of a tab from either end of the leg section for locking horizontally adjacent shelf sections to the leg sections.

2. A shelf structure as in claim 1 including bosses in the channels upon which the tabs may rest.

3. A shelf structure as in claim '2 including one such boss near each end of each channel so that the leg section is symmetrical from end to end whereby either end may be upward.

4. A shelf structure as in claim 1 in which said channels are formed by flanges on the leg sections, the flanges being formed for holding plates to form closures for the space between shelf sections.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,104,627 9/1963 FOhn 21l135 XR 2,738,883 3/1956 Wineman 2ll182 XR 2,833,421 5/1958 Skubic 2ll182 XR 2,991,888 7/1961 Shivek l08114 XR 3,031,087 4/1962 Herrod 10811l XR 2,654,487 10/1953 Degener 211182 XR RAMON s. BRITTS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

